Albums Of The Year(s)

In 2022 and 2023, I kept mental lists of my favorite albums that released that year. However, I completely forgot to post anything about these thoughts. So, here, I've compiled some loose "Albums of the Year" lists (with explanations!), and included 2020-2021 to round out the decade a bit.

I'll also put some stuff at the end of each year list that I discovered in later years but really enjoyed.

(Still a WIP.)

2024

Porter Robinson - SMILE! :D

Probably my favorite album of the year and also my favorite of Porter Robinson's albums so far. Not only is the exploration of the weirdness of internet celebrity culture refreshingly candid, it's got got catchy melodies, great electronic noises, and enough complexity and variability to keep me coming back.

Iglooghost - Tidal Memory Exo

It's always extremely cool to see an album with comlex worldbuilding—in this case, not only does Tidal Memory Exo tell a fascinating and unique story about the discovery of a new lifeform within the ocean, it also positions the album itself as a collection of music that exists in the fictional context. Compared to some of Iglooghost's other albums, I enjoyed that this one was a bit chiller (I can listen all the way through without getting a headache!) while keeping his signature "tons of awesome noises" vibe.

I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME - GLOOM DIVISION

It's good indie rock! Very catchy! Not sure what else to say. Probably my favorite of IDKHOW's projects so far.

Allie X - Girl With No Face

This released on the same day as the IDKHOW album, which is pretty cool. I've been listening to both artists for a long time, and was delighted to see Allie X doing something like this—very gothic, very campy, very retro. I also think it's awesome that one of the songs is about getting top surgery?

Justice - Hyperdrama

I almost forgot about this one! I like it a lot. It's good "put on in the background" music in the best way possible.

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Flight b741

As always, this year's King Gizzard album goes on here. b741 is extremely solid—"Le Risque" especially is an instant all-time classic of a song, probably one of their very best—but this one didn't quite capture me in the way some of their other albums have. I think there was an opportunity to make this more strongly melodically focused in the way 2018's Fishing For Fishies is, and the album never quite goes there. Regardless... it's good.

Honorable mentions: Charlie xcx - BRAT, Sabrina Carpenter - Short n' Sweet

2023

Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS

I'm not a huge fan of the way super-mainstream pop music has been heading in the last... uh... ten years, but Olivia Rodrigo's new album REALLY hit for me. Not in terms of relatability (though I'm sure many will find it relatable), but more in terms of sound. She goes through a ton of different styles, all with witty lyrics and an over-the-top yet sincere tone, and really nails this sort of 2010 pop punk Paramore/Avril Levigne type vibe. It makes me very happy. (I also did not enjoy her first album, but this one sold me.)

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse / The Silver Cord

I liked both of these! Neither quite lives up to "Ice, Death, ..." from last year, but it's nice to see Gizz try out two new genres. PDA is extremely re-listenable; its energy is infectious and incredibly fun. My only complaint is that I think some of the lyrical rhythm in PDA is a little bit shit. Otherwise... man, I want to see them play "Dragon" live.

Måneskin - RUSH!

What a FUN album this is. I had to stop listening to it for a while so I wouldn't wear it out. Måneskin keep killing it. "RUSH!" injects yet another dose of camp into their already dialed-up pop punk sound. I love how much the narrator of these songs is playing a character. I love how queer the whole thing feels without actually really being so.

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Fronzoli

It's pretty great. 2022's "Night Gnomes" is better, I think, but the Porn Crumpets never miss, imo.

Chuck Salamone - Absent Moon

Shoutout to Chuck Salamone for making a musical song cycle for a video game and making it legitimately good. The lyrics are fun and mysterious without getting on my nerves like some game-musical stuff does, and the instrumentals, as always with Salamone, are wonderful. Hylics 3 when...

100 gecs - 10,000 gecs

Like with Olivia Rodrigo, I was not super into 100 gecs's first album, but this one—with all the rock/metal influence and the slight dialing back of the "noises that hurt your ears" sound—is more my kinda thing. Loving how experimental some of these songs sound. The gecs are really just doing whatever and I love it!

Honorable mentions: Fall Out Boy - So Much (For) Stardust, Paramore - This Is Why

Stuff from 2023 I discovered and liked in later years: Sleep Token - Take Me Back To Eden, Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, RAYE - My 21st Century Blues

2022

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms, and Lava

No other song will ever make me feel as insane as "Gliese 710" does. The other four (four!!!!) Gizz albums from this year are all bangers too, but nothing else comes close to what this album did for me. Man. I will never forget the order of the Greek modes again.

MUNA - MUNA

Muna!! I love them. They are so good. Just very solid pop music.

Rina Sawayama - Hold the Girl

Rina Sawayama is also a contender for "most all-around solid pop artist making music right now." I don't know what to say, it's just good! Catchy! What a sense of artistic style and variety Sawayama has. Her music videos are great too.

Wet Leg - Wet Leg

Delightfully weird. Feels super candid, like music you make to fuck around with your friends. I don't think I've heard anything quite like it. It's good!

Elder - Innate Passage

This is just such a good album to put on in the background and vibe out to. Like all of Elder's stuff, it makes me feel inexpressible and vague emotions. Love it.

Honorable mentions: Palaye Royale - Fever Dream, Demi Lovato - HOLY FVCK, Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loneliest Time

Stuff from 2022 I discovered and liked in later years: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Night Gnomes

2021

For 2021 and 2020, I wasn't really keeping a mental list of albums, so for these writeups I'll try my best to only include albums that I listened to & liked in the years they were released.

Halsey - If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power

I have weirdly strong and unnecessarily complicated feelings on Halsey's entire discography, but one thing I can say for sure is that the production on all her stuff is stellar. She's excellent at drawing you into a mood. I think this album does that super well. It's also full of bangers, and is just the right amount of "slightly weird." Thank you Trent Reznor.

CHVRCHES - Screen Violence

I'm not sure what to say about this one - it's just really good melancholic synth pop. I like the production on this a lot too.

Chuck Salamone - Moonage Lobotomy

I've not been including video game OSTs on these lists, so putting so much Chuck Salamone kind of feels like cheating... but hey, it's not like these tracks were actually used in any game! Anyway, this is a good short album of themes for the main four characters of Hylics. I've listened to "An Endless Cycle" a normal amount of times.

Honorable mentions: Porter Robinson - Nurture, Against the Current - fever, Lil Nas X - MONTERO

Stuff from 2021 I discovered and liked in later years: King Gizzard - Butterfly 3000

2020

Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia

Will Wood - The Normal Album

Gupi & Fraxiom - food house

IDKHOW - RAZZMATAZZ

Stuff from 2020 I discovered and liked in later years: King Gizzard - K.G., Miley Cyrus - Plastic Hearts